Daughters
by 0xTragic-Finalex0
Summary: Fathers, be good to your daughters. Daughters will love like you do." A series of one shots revolving around Rabbit and his daughter as she grows up.
1. Birthday

Ruben 'Rabbit' Palchuck always said he didn't want kids. They were loud, messy and costly. He'd have to trade in the old Chevelle and drive a minivan or some shit like that. There was no late bar nights, no double shifts and no wild, helicopter joy rides.

Nancy brought out a different side of him. The Rabbit he was with Nancy didn't need the car or the helicopter or the 'don't give a damn attitude' to be happy. That didn't mean it had been easy to get him to give it up.

They'd been married for a little over a year and a half. Before that, they'd been seeing each other for a year. Nancy and Rabbit didn't need years of dating to know they worked for each other. Something just clicked. Tyler told Nance that was called destiny.

Rabbit tossed his keys down on the table by the apartment door and walked into the kitchen, letting out a sigh of relief. He loved his job and he loved saving lives but sometimes he needed a break from intensity of it all.

The apartment was quiet. Rabbit glanced at the clock on the microwave as he pulled open the fridge door. It was nearly 7:00. Lately, Nancy was always lying down by this time. He pulled out a plate wrapped in foil from behind the milk and grabbed a fork out of the sink strainer as he pushed the fridge door shut with his foot.

He sat down at the table and ate quietly, enjoying the silence. Rabbit had come to realize that life was loud. Scenes of accidents were loud. Helicopters were loud. Soon, their apartment would be loud too.

He got up and slid the plate into the dishwasher and tossed the foil into the garbage before flicking off the kitchen light. Rabbit walked into the living room, turned on a light and dropped down onto the end of the couch. He grabbed the remote and flipped on the television. As he began to flip channels in search of the game, he found his wife joining him.

"How was work?" She quickly questioned as she eased down on the couch next to him. "Did you and Marissa get anything good?"

"Work was fine. Just a few car accidents, kid hit on a bike, nothing major" Rabbit responded with a small laugh. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head as she rested it on his shoulder. "Don't worry, you're not missing any earth changing events" He added. "Tell me about your day" He prompted.

"I did what I've done for the past week" Nancy responded with a huff. "I sit around, go out and run a few errands and come home again" She answered.

"You'll have plenty to do soon enough" Rabbit responded, gently running a hand over her blonde locks. "You have to be patient" He whispered with a grin before resting his lips on her cheek.

Nancy let out a sarcastic laugh and closed her eyes. "You can tell me to be patient when you're the one whose nine months pregnant with swollen feet" She rested her hands on her enlarged stomach and gave it a gentle rub. "I want her to come now" She said with a grin, opening her eyes and looking to him. "Speaking of her…" Nancy's voice trailed off as she leaned to her right and reached for the end table. She managed to snag the handle of a bag with her finger tip and pull it into her lap. "I bought her a gift today" She pushed the bag to Rabbit.

He slid his hand into the white plastic and pulled out a hardcover book. "10,000 Baby Names" He read aloud. "Nance, we have a few years before she'll be reading" He joked with a smile.

"No, the book isn't for her. The names are. We still haven't picked out anything and we're starting to run out of time" Nancy said with a smile, hoping to coerce him into deciding on something.

They tried having the name conversation before and they couldn't agree. Nancy liked all sorts of names while nothing jumped out at Rabbit. If the kid was going to be stuck with the name for the rest of her life, he wanted it to be good.

"Nance, you already know what I think" Rabbit started, glancing back to the game flashing on the television screen.

"How about Peyton?" She asked before he could say anything else.

Rabbit didn't reply, partially considering the name and partially hoping she would give up.

"Can you at least humor me?" Nancy asked, resting the bottom corner of the book on her belly and looking over at him in an exasperated manner. "I've spent the past week at home on maternity leave while you fly all over the city and save lives. It's the least you can do for me" She stated, using all the wifely power in her to stare him down.

After a moment of silence, Rabbit finally gave in. He found that Nancy could wear him down like that. Maybe he was a sucker for the little pout of hers. Though he hated to admit it, he was pretty sure he had become whipped. Come to think of it, that's how he knew Nancy was the one. The day he realized he would do anything for Nancy was the day he knew he wanted to marry her.

"Peyton Palchuck? That sounds like a Doctor Seuss character" He answered, continuing to watch the basketball game rerun that he'd found on ESPN.

"Okay then" Nancy said with a hint of disappointment in her voice as she flipped through a few pages. "What about Sophia?" She said, glancing to him as she brushed a piece of her bangs behind her ear.

"How is she supposed to do anything kick ass with a name like Sophia?" Rabbit asked with a shrug, glancing back to Nancy.

"Well, what if she wants to grow up and have a respectable job and a family?" She asked in reply. "Sophia would be a great name for that"

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

Nancy let out a sigh and shook her head as she flipped through a few more pages. "Let's see…" She muttered as her eyes scanned down the page. "Marissa or Mia?" She questioned, looking back over at him.

"I'll never hear the end of it if we name her Marissa" Rabbit said, letting out a short laugh at the thought of his pilot and partner.

"So, it's not like Marissa is a bad person to name our daughter after" Nancy protested.

"No" Rabbit answered, taking the chance to cut her off. He wouldn't turn into a total softie for Marissa.

"That still leaves Mia" Nancy offered. She curled her legs and feet onto the couch, folding them to her side as she leaned into Rabbit's chest.

"Nah, I just can't picture it" He replied, looking to her.

"Then what can you 'picture', Rabbit?" Nancy asked, growing irate. Of course, it was his nature to disagree with everything she liked. In his usual fashion, Rabbit did it with calm, cool, collectiveness which could drive her insane.

"I told you, I need a face to put the name to" He insisted. "I think we should wait until after she's born"

"But she won't-" She tried to protest but he stopped her.

"Let's go back to talking about my day" He offered, pulling the book out of her hands and tossing it onto the coffee table in front of him.

"Fine" Nancy answered, dropping her hands onto her stomach and looking to him with a huff. "How's Glenn?" She asked, curious how her probbie partner was doing.

"With you gone, he's not the probbie anymore" Rabbit said with a laugh.

"How so?" She questioned. "And I'm not gone, I'm only on maternity leave" She quickly corrected him with a nod.

"He's got some new guy, Steven working with him" Rabbit answered.

"Aww, poor Glenn" Nancy burst out laughing. "Now he knows what its like to work with himself"

"He probably has a new found respect for you for sticking with him" He said in agreement.

"What about the kid on the bike?" She asked. "How is he?"

"Dr Joe says he'll be alright." Rabbit answered. "A few broken ribs but that was the least of his problems"

"Spinal?" Nancy guessed, making use of her own medical knowledge.

"Almost immediate bruising" He answered, resting his head back on the couch and turning to look at her. "Minor concussion too but the helmet took most of the impact"

"We are never getting our daughter a bike" She answered, giving a small shudder at the thought of the boy flying through the air. Thankfully in her job, she didn't have to see things happen. Nancy only had to clean up the pieces afterwards.

"Speaking of Dr Joe, he was asking about you today" Rabbit commented. "He wanted to know how you were doing with all this idle time on your hands"

"Did you tell him I'm going crazy playing the waiting game?" She asked with a grin, shifting on the couch so she was sitting up more.

"I told him you were ready to have the baby today" Rabbit answered. He grabbed the remote off the arm of the couch and flicked the television off. He stretched his arms out and let a relaxed sigh escape his lips.

"Only a few more days" Nancy said, sliding her head to his chest and closing her eyes.

As it happens, they only had a few hours to wait. Later that night, Nancy felt the first unfamiliar yet tall tale pains in her lower back. She spent the next twelve hours standing, sitting, walking and laying; doing whatever she could to try to relieve the pain that led to the delivery of a 7 lb, 9 oz baby girl.

"Here, you hold her" Nancy said, gently easing the baby in her arms towards Rabbit.

"I don't know-" he started in reply, sliding his chair closer to the bed. He had waited for this moment for so long but now he found himself nervous. It was one thing to mess up his own life but now he would have someone else's in his hands.

"No, it's fine" She said, nodding her head gently. She carefully slid the sleeping girl into his arms and pulled her own away. "That's it, hold her head like that" She added, smiling as she looked at the two.

Rabbit let out a breath before looking to Nancy and grinning. He gently ran his hand over her delicate head of dark, silky hair. "She's so perfect, Nance" He said at a near whisper as he watched the baby sleep.

Nancy lay back in the bed, letting her messy blonde hair fan out around her head. She closed her eyes, trying to regain some of her energy. "How about a name?" She asked with her eyes still closed.

"Huh?" Rabbit asked, looking up to Nancy. He was so memorized by watching the baby he hadn't really listened.

"You said you wanted to see her before we picked a name" She said, opening her eyes. "What do you think?"

Rabbit looked back down at the baby and gently ran his finger over her tiny hands which were tightly clenched into fists.

"Don't tell me you're speechless now" She smiled as she laughed.

"I look at her and I see Taylor Sophia Palchuck" Rabbit finally answered. He tore his eyes away from the little girl to look to Nancy for approval.

"Taylor Sophia Palchuck" She repeated. "Taylor Sophia Palchuck" She echoed again. "Our daughter, Taylor Sophia Palchuck"

"Is that a yes?" He asked, looking back down at the baby once again.

Nancy took in a deep breath and exhaled before answering. "Yes, I think so. I'm glad I got one of my choices in there" She laughed sleepily at the second part.

Childbirth had been harder and more exhausting than she imagined. Nancy had a pretty good image too, having delivered a baby or two. Despite all this, she was so glad she did it. They were a family now, a unit.

"Well then," Rabbit grinned. "Welcome to the world, Taylor" He bent his head down and lightly kissed the child's forehead. "Welcome to the world"


	2. Pictures

Hi everyone, I'm Em. I don't know why I didn't do that in the first one shot. Anywho, I hope you liked it seeing as you're still reading (:

First off, you should know that Taylor is now 3. Second off, you should give a big round of applause to my beta reader, Kay. You should also scold me for not thanking her sooner!

Enjoy!

* * *

There was something comforting about coloring. It was probably Nancy's favorite assignments during med school. There were not directions to follow and no topics to research. She would sit in a quiet corner of the library and carefully color in each vein and valve to the heart with elegant precision.

That was one of the reasons she didn't mind spending her days with Taylor. Once the Barney tapes had been played umpteen times and she couldn't attend another princess tea party, Nancy loved to pull out the bucket of crayons and some paper and color pictures.

Nance sat at one end of the table while 3-year-old Taylor sat at the other. Her dark brown braids fell onto her shoulders as she scribbled away on a white piece of paper.

"Done" She said bluntly, hoping down out of her chair and walking around the table to Nancy. She dropped the picture of a pink flower onto Nancy's lap. Taylor placed her chin on the table that happened to be at the perfect height and watched Nancy.

"Very pretty" Nancy replied, picking it up and looking at it. It was a pink flower with black lines running across it and a blue stem. It was the type of flower only a mother could love. "Why don't you put it on the fridge?" She offered, placing it down on the table in front of the little girl.

"Can I watch my Barney tape now?" Taylor asked, not touching the picture.

She couldn't say yes. Nancy just couldn't listen to that damn purple dinosaur sing one more time. Not to mention she hadn't quite finished her picture of a clogged aorta. It was only a rough sketch but she never got to see anything close to this working the night shift.

"How about you draw one more?" Nancy offered dropping the tickle me pink crayon in her hand and looking at the little girl.

"I don't want to color anymore" Taylor protested in a long whine, backing away from the table and starting to turn around in circles on the kitchen floor.

"Draw one more" Nance instructed. "Here" She slid a piece of paper on the floor to where the girl had dropped down and rolled her some crayons.

"Fine" She replied in a huff, rolling onto her belly and waving her legs in the air. She picked up a yellow crayon and began to draw for a minute or two before stopping and staring at Nancy.

"No, you're not watch-"Nancy started, feeling the dark, little eyes watching her. She stopped when she glanced over and found that Taylor had gone back to contently coloring. Nancy watched for a moment as the girl went through yellow, then orange, green and purple. "What are you drawing?" She asked.

"You" She answered, swinging her legs as she continued to color without looking up. "And Daddy and Glenn and Marissa" Taylor added, mispronouncing the 'r's to sound like 'w's.

The quiet padding of paws filled the kitchen. The grey tabby cat slinked in and over to Taylor, rubbing himself against her legs and then walking around to rub himself against her cheek. "You can be in the picture too" She giggled, dropping the crayon in her hand to the ground and rubbing the cat who purred with satisfaction.

The family portrait Taylor drew kept her busy for almost another thirty minutes. She colored one page of Rabbit, Nancy, herself and Sal, the cat. Another had Glenn on it and a third had Marissa in the copter.

"Do you like it?" Taylor asked, placing the pile on the table next to Nancy's own.

"Taylor, it's beautiful" Nancy commended, picturing the papers up and looking them over. "Why don't you go pick up your crayons?" She suggested as she continued to look at the pictures. Taylor spun around in circles before dropping down on the floor and scooping all the crayons into a small pile with her arms.

Nancy watched, a thought brewing in her mind. A trip out of the house seemed like a good idea when she had all this energy to burn.

"Can I put the bucket away, mommy?" She asked once she had dropped all of them into the clear tub on the table.

"That would be very helpful" Nance replied, placing the pictures down on the table and standing up. She grabbed her car keys off the counter and her sweater from over the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

"Tay, get your coat" She called into the hallway as she pulled her arms into the grey sweater.

"Here" Taylor said in a sing-song voice as she returned to the kitchen, waving a pink zip up sweatshirt. Nancy took it from her and held it up, helping to guide her arms in. "Where are we going?" The little girl asked as her mother pulled the zipper up for her.

"Do you want to go see Daddy at work?" Nancy asked in reply.

"Yes, yes, yes" Taylor replied, jumping up and down towards the door. Nancy followed, a gentle smirk on her lips. It was no surprise she would want to go. Everyone at the station thought Taylor was the cutest little thing. Taylor thought all the attention was great.

"Here, hold your pictures" She picked them up off the table and placed them in the small hands as she pulled the door closed behind them.

Once they pulled into the station, Nancy got out of the car and walked around the back. She opened the door to find the girl pulling at the car seat buckles, unable to get them undone. Nancy cut in and unclipped them before handing the little girl the pictures that were on the car seat next to her.

They started in but were intercepted by Tyler who was coming in for a shift. "Hey, Nance" He called with an easy grin as he jogged over and caught up to them. "Taylor Palchuck!" He announced in an action movie like voice, causing the girl to turn around, grinning. "Give your Uncle Tyler a hug" He added, kneeling down to her height.

"You're so silly" She laughed at him as she threw her arms around him.

"No, you are" He replied with a smile as he picked her up and started to walk with Nancy. "You're missing out on all the good stuff by taking the night" He told Nancy as they walked into the common room where Glenn was sprawled across the couch, dozing.

"Are you kidding? Just last week I got a fender bender" Nancy teased with a laugh as she placed her car keys down on the counter.

"Uncle Glenn" Taylor cheered out, scrambling away from Tyler and running over to the couch. She poked him in the chest and leaned over. "Uncle Glenn" She whispered, causing him to wake with a jolt.

"Huh?" Glenn asked, rubbing his eyes and swinging his legs to the floor. "Oh, hi Taylor" He said, noticing the little girl who climbed up next to him on the couch.

"I drew a picture of you" She responded, dropping the paper into his lap.

Glenn picked it up and looked closely at it. "It looks just like me" He finally replied, causing her to beam. "Even the green hair" He added, glancing over his shoulder to Nancy who shrugged in response.

"She's creative" Nancy said with a smirk.

"Who's this?" He asked, pointing to the other person in a picture, clearly a stick woman.

"That's Diana" She answered promptly.

"Jeez Nance, your kid doesn't miss a beat" Glenn called over his shoulder with a sheepish grin.

"Must come from a fantastic gene pool, I guess" Nancy replied with a shrug and a laugh.

"I've gotta go find Aunt Marissa" Taylor announced, sliding to the edge of the couch. "Bye Uncle Glenn" She said, throwing her arms around him before hoping down. She headed for the door, unafraid to wander off by herself.

"I'd better get going. We've got another stop to make" Nancy explained, waving to the two as she jogged over to the door, keeping an eye on Taylor as she wandered down the hall.

"Catch you tonight" Tyler called in response as he shut the fridge door. Nancy walked out the door and caught up with Taylor, sliding her hand into hers.

Together, they walked into the helicopter bay. The large garage like room was quiet except for the faint echo of a radio, bouncing off the cool concrete. The pair walked past a set of old couches with a few EMTs and Pilots reclining of them in their blue jump suits. Nance greeted them with a friendly wave as they passed by, heading outside to the concrete helicopter pad.

"Hey guys" A friendly voice called, walking towards them. Marissa grinned and kneeled down once she reached Taylor, who promptly threw her arms around her. Marissa stood back up, holding the little girl. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Dropping in for a visit" Nancy explained. "I can only watch Barney so many more times" She added quietly.

"I have something for you" Taylor announced, holding up the papers in her hand. "That ones you" She added, pointing to a blue stick woman with long, dark hair.

"Is that my bird?" She asked, pointing to a circle with sticks coming out of it that could have possibly been a helicopter if she squinted and looked at it upside down.

"Yup" Taylor answered, smiling proudly and handing her the picture. "You can keep it"

"Well, thank you so much" Marissa said, giving the girl a squeeze and placing her down, keeping the paper in her hand. "Just got back from a call" She said, looking to Nancy. "Rabbit's out by the helicopter if you're looking for him"

"Okay, thanks" Nancy replied with a nod before waving goodbye and heading after Taylor who was making her way towards the helicopter as if she owned the place.

"Hey, my favorite girls" Rabbit called, sitting in the back of the copter. He climbed out, grabbing the door as he did so and letting his feet hit the pavement. "What are you doing here?" He asked once Nancy reached him.

"Just visiting" She answered giving him a quick kiss. "I needed a Barney break" She added in a hush tone, glancing down at the little girl.

"What are you up to, kid?" Rabbit asked with a grin, scooping up Taylor into his arms.

"I brought you a picture, daddy" She replied handing him the paper. "That's you, and mommy, and me" She pointed to each stick figure in the picture.

"What about that?" He asked in reply, pointing to a grey blob in the corner and glancing to Nancy.

"That's Sal, silly" Taylor answered with a fit of giggles that could only be explained as the sound of ringing bells to a loving father.

"And what about this?" He asked, using his free hand once again to point to something red colored in on the side of his stick figure.

"That's your cape" She answered matter-o-factly.

"Cape?" He questioned.

"Mommy says you save people and that's what super heroes do" Taylor answered, dropping her head to his shoulder and looking at the picture.

"Here, why don't you put the picture right there?" He offered, setting her down in the helicopter and pointing to a clipboard hanging from wall. Once she busied herself with that, he turned back to Nancy.

"So, you tell people you married Superman?" He asked with a grin, wrapping his arms around her.

"Not quite" She added with a laugh, watching Taylor over his shoulder as she placed her picture up. "Don't get too over enthused" Rabbit laughed as Nancy leaned in for a kiss.


	3. Christmas

_Hello again, guys! Sorry for such a long wait! I hope you all got a chance to see the season finale of Trauma! Leave a comment and tell me what you thought of it, 'kay? I really hope another network will pikc the show up if NBC doesn't do another season. We'll have to keep our fingers crossed (:_

Now that Taylor was four, and old enough to really enjoy the holidays, Nancy and Rabbit went all out for Christmas. For the first time since they had been married, they bought a real evergreen tree and thoroughly decorated it. They hung a wreath on the door and stockings on a shelf in the living room.

Though Nancy loved the decorations, finding it reminded her of her childhood, she couldn't help but wish they decided to do the usual. When they stuck up the short, fake tree and didn't bother with any lights or door swags, Taylor was oblivious to the upcoming holiday until it was upon her. Now Taylor was off the wall, waiting for Santa.

"When is Santa coming?" Taylor asked as she squeezed some green dough between her fingers.

"Soon" Nancy said, smiling gently as she gave the same answer she'd given for the past three weeks. "Very soon" She added, placing the ball of dough she had just rolled onto a cookie tray before reaching into the bowl on the counter and grabbing another handful.

"Are you sure this is his favorite type of cookie?" Taylor asked, placing her own lumpy dough next to Nancy's on the tray and reaching into the bowl for more.

"Be careful" Nancy interjected, quickly pushing the back of the chair the little girl was standing on down as two of the feet popped up. "And yes, these are Santa's favorite" She assured her. They were Rabbit's favorite too.

"Can we leave him some milk tonight too?" She asked, placing another lumpy ball onto the tray. Nancy placed her own dough down and picked Taylor's up, rolling them, and placing them back down.

"Of course we can" Nancy answered. She turned away for a moment, trying to compose herself at the thought of milk. Once she had managed to keep her stomach at bay, she went back to rolling the last bits of dough.

"Why don't you do the sugar?" She offered, opening a container of red sprinkles and passing it to Taylor. "Careful" She murmured, helping to keep the girl's hand steady as she shook the bottle over the tray.

"Mommy?" Taylor asked, her voice dropping as she placed the sprinkles down on the counter. Nancy picked the tray up and pulled the oven door open before sliding it open.

"Yes, baby?" Nancy asked, letting out a long, tired breath as she stood back up. She grabbed the empty bowl and placed it into the sink.

"Does Santa still bring presents to bad people?" She asked, sitting down in the chair where she had been standing.

"Santa brings presents to everyone who tries to be good" Nancy explained, turning off the water and looking to Taylor. "I don't think you have anything to worry about" She added, brushing a blonde hair from her face. Nancy and Rabbit already had one 'gift' for Taylor that couldn't be returned.

"This is going to be a really good Christmas" Taylor said, hoping down off the chair and pushing it back to the table.

At the sound of keys rattling against the door, Taylor bound out of the chair and ran to the front door, sliding across the wood floors in her sock clad feet. "Daddy" She called in a sing song voice. A few moments later, she returned into the room, carried by Rabbit.

"What are we making?" He asked, pulling his sunglasses off his head with his free hand and tossed them to the table. Rabbit kissed Nancy's cheek before she carefully slid the cookie sheet into the oven.

"We needed to make cookies for Santa" She answered, standing back up and turning to him.

"They're his favorite" Taylor butted in, pushing her dark locks out of her face with both hands.

"Mine too" Rabbit added with a sly grin to Nancy. Reaching out, she smacked him in the shoulder with a dish towel from the counter. "Just saying" He replied with a playful smile before walking into the living room, still carrying Taylor.

"Daddy, how is Santa going to get into our house?" She asked, slipping out of his arms and jumping into a sitting position on the couch. "We don't have a chimney" She added, looking around the room in disappointment.

"Lucky for little girls like you, Santa has a magic key" Rabbit started, sitting down next to her and collapsing back into the couch. Even half days at work were tiring during the holidays. People drove like idiots, the thought not even crossing their mind that they wouldn't ever be home for the holidays if they did that. "He'll use the key and come right in the front door"

"What if the chain lock is on?" Taylor asked, somewhat sure that Santa wouldn't be able to get to their Christmas tree.

"I'll make sure it isn't locked tonight" Rabbit assured her.

"Are you sure he got my letter?" She persisted, bouncing off the couch and sliding down to the floor. Sal slinked out from behind the tree and purred gently, rubbing against her cheek.

"Uncle Tyler made sure he got it" He replied, closing his eyes and reclining his head back on the couch. He had the next few days off which was like his own gift from Santa.

"Are you sure Uncle Tyler really knows Santa?" Taylor questioned. Nancy had brought the letter to work with her and given to Tyler to stash away after telling Taylor that Tyler and Santa were friends. Tyler thought it was pretty clever and was happy to join in on the fun.

"Santa won't forget about Sal, will he?" She asked, scooping the cat into her arms and rolling onto her back as she rubbed her sock clad feet over the wood floor.

"I don't…" Rabbit's voice trailed off. This was her first real Christmas and he didn't want to have to have the 'Santa' talk with her anytime soon. He didn't want to make any false promises. "I think you should ask Mommy" He answered, running a hand through his hair.

"Ask Mommy what?" Nancy asked, pausing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room to turn off the lights, before walking over and joining Rabbit on the couch. Settling in next to him and curling up her feet, she rested her head on his shoulder and he slipped his arm around her.

"Will Santa bring presents for Sal?" Taylor asked, scrambling to grab the grey tabby back after he scurried out of her arms. He slipped away into the dark kitchen, leaving her laying on the floor.

"I'm sure he'll bring him something" Nancy answered with assurance, glad she had thought to cover the pet aspect of the holiday. Sal would get a few new toys and a bag of treats. Nancy decided to save the feline's dignity and leave the kitty Santa suit on the rack. "Don't roll around on the floor" She said after a pause, yawning and closing her eyes.

Taylor crawled over to the couch and climbed up into Nancy's lap, looking up at her. "When will Santa come?"

"Not until you go to bed" Nancy responded, opening in her eyes and letting out another yawn. Santa was going to need a nap before any presents appeared under the tree.

"Which is right now" Rabbit added quickly, taking a breath and standing up. Grabbing Taylor, he swung her over his shoulder, giggles filling the room.

Nancy found herself leaning over and beginning to doze off as the giggles quieted down. Her blonde hair sprayed across her face creating a curtain between her the glowing, rainbow lights of the tree. It seemed only minutes later that Rabbit was joining her on the couch, slipping himself between her body and the armrest. He rested one foot on the couch and one of the floor, allowing her space to recline on his chest.

"Where's Taylor?" She asked, her voice slightly groggy but relaxed.

"In bed" Rabbit replied quietly, gently soothing her blonde locks away from her face before resting a hand on her hip.

"Already?" She questioned as she exhaled, her body moving closer to his.

"It's been almost an hour" He replied with a small laugh, looking down at her.

"Oh" Nancy answered, in a surprised yet quiet voice. "I guess I fell asleep" She added, starting to sit up, only to be pulled back down by Rabbit.

"Stay for a few minutes" Rabbit said, using little pleading to convince. He happily wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her flat stomach once she had settled in again. "Do you think she'll be surprised?" He asked, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"About what?" Nancy asked, interjecting a yawn into the question.

"Gee, I don't know…" Rabbit chuckled gently, tracing circles over the shirt clad skin on her stomach. "Maybe you're impending pregnancy?" He suggested.

"Yes, that" Nancy smiled and closed her eyes as she placed her hands over his and followed his sporadic tracing pattern. "I'm sure it'll be her favorite gift unless we find out it's a boy" She answered.

"I'll be happy if it's a boy" Rabbit answered. Nancy smacked his hand gently and smiled, her face hidden from his view. "Or a girl" He added, kissing the top of her head with a grin.

"We should get to bed so Santa can come" Nancy said after a long pause, sitting up right. She rubbed her eyes and pushed her bangs away from her face. She stood up and reached for his hand, giving him a gentle pull up. Resting his hands on her shoulders, they left quietly, the only sound that of their socks brushing tiredly over the floor.

The next morning, after all the gifts had been open and the paper strew across the floor in a red and green hurricane, Taylor settled down on the couch, new toys in hand, between Rabbit and Nancy. Rabbit caught Nancy's eyes over the little girl's head as he finished ripping the hair of the new Barbie doll out of the box.

"Taylor," he started, handing the doll to her. "Mommy and I have another gift for you" He looked to Nancy to take it from here. Taylor said nothing, preoccupied with the doll in her lap. Nancy took the Barbie and placed it on the other side of her.

"What?" Taylor asked, looking up, her eyes bright with joy.

"Mommy is growing a baby in her belly" Nancy finally said, after finding the right words for the mind of a four year old. "But he or she won't be here for awhile"

"What do you think?" Rabbit asked as Taylor looked over to him. "Are you excited?"

"Am I going to have to share my dolls?" She asked, reaching back over Nancy and snatching the doll back by her blonde hair.

"No" Nancy laughed, grinning and running a hand down Taylor's dark hair. "If the baby is a girl, we'll buy her her own Barbies"

"Oh, good" Taylor broke into a smile as she squeezed her own doll tightly.


End file.
